Bjornstjerne M. Bjornson - "Three Comedies"

James MacQueen - "A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western Parts of the World"

William Bligh - "A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; And The Subsequent Voyage Of Part Of The Crew, In The Ship's Boat"

Frederick Orin Bartlett - "The Seventh Noon"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

Young Americans Abroad

V >> Various >> Young Americans Abroad




The finest view of St. Paul's Cathedral is, unquestionably, from the
Thames. When seen from the streets, only portions of its colossal
magnitude can be observed. On all sides it is hemmed in by houses,
which, pygmies though they be, prevent an uninterrupted view of the
architectural giant. But from the middle of the Thames, the cathedral is
seen in all its glory; towering above the surrounding marts of trade, it
stands out the grand point of attraction.

[Illustration: St. Paul's Cathedral.]

Here may be observed, to advantage, the surpassing beauty of the great
dome, which dwarfs the towers and steeples of the surrounding churches
almost into nothingness. The general aspect of the cathedral is said to
resemble St. Peter's, at Rome, but the symmetry of the dome of the
latter is acknowledged to be less beautiful than that of its London
rival.

We landed at Blackfriars Bridge Stairs; and, after ascending Ludgate
Hill, arrived at the great northern door of the cathedral. In reply to
the rap of our knuckles at the huge portals, it slowly swung back on its
hinges, and a grim, surly-looking face appeared. The figure which
belonged to the face was clad in a rusty and seedy black robe, from
beneath which a hand was thrust forth, and the words, "two-pence each,"
sounded harshly on our ears. Two-pence each was accordingly paid, and
then the surly janitor, or verger, as he is called, admitted us within
the building. In a moment afterwards, we were beneath the dome of St.
Paul's. If this part of the edifice has appeared imposing when viewed
from without, how much grander did it seem now that we stood on the
marble pavement below, and gazed upward into the vast concave which the
genius of Sir Christopher Wren had designed. The scene to my mind was
most impressive, and the impressiveness was heightened by a continuous
dull roar, which never ceased for a moment. This ceaseless noise was
produced by the numerous carriages passing and repassing without. The
concavity of the dome, I suppose, condensed the sound into a subdued
thunder, like that which one hears at a short distance from the Falls
of Niagara. Against the huge pillars, and in various niches, were the
statues of eminent men; some of them erected by the nation, as a
commemoration of naval or military services, and others as tributes to
great personal worth, or to public benefactors. Among the statues of the
men of peace, that of Dr. Samuel Johnson, the great lexicographer,
particularly interested me. The celebrated moralist is represented
seated. One hand holds a scroll, the other rests upon a pedestal. The
likeness is said to be well preserved. The sculptor was Bacon. There was
the capacious forehead, the thick bushy eyebrows, the large mouth, the
double chin, the clumsy person, and the thick, ungainly legs, which had
been rendered familiar to me through the portraits which I had seen in
the Johnsonia. As I gazed on that marble tribute to genius and worth, I
could not but remember, Charley, how Johnson had frequently walked the
streets of London all night, because he had not the wherewithal to pay
for a lodging. Near to Johnson's monument was that of Howard the
philanthropist. We noticed a very fine one to Sir Joshua Reynolds; also
statues to Bishop Heber, Abercrombie, Cornwallis, Sir John Moore, Sir
Astley Cooper, Sir Thomas Lawrence, and Benjamin West.

[Illustration: Dr. Samuel Johnson.]

But the greatest attraction of St. Paul's is the sarcophagus, in which
repose the remains of England's greatest naval hero, Lord Nelson.
Situated immediately beneath the centre of the great dome is a
diamond-shaped tablet, which marks the spot beneath which rests, after
his career of glory, the hero of the Nile and Trafalgar. His body rests
in a sarcophagus in the vaults below. Exactly beneath the tablet lies
the huge coffin, with the name "NELSON" engraven on its side.
No epitaph, no labored panegyric, no fulsome praise; and Englishmen, I
think, were right in supposing that the simple name of their hero was
enough for fame. This sarcophagus was made by Cardinal Wolsey; and here
Nelson was placed, in a coffin made out of the mainmast of the French
ship, L'Orient.

The grim verger recommended us to ascend to the dome, and, after paying
fresh fees, we mounted an enormously long and steep-winding staircase,
which led us to the base of the dome. Here was a circular gallery,
surrounded with a railing. Scarcely had we entered this gallery, when
the attendant purposely slammed the entrance door, and immediately a
loud peal, as of thunder, reverberated through the vast building; then
he requested us to listen whilst he whispered against the smooth wall
directly opposite to us. The effect was startling; every word was as
distinct as though the speaker's lips had been close to my ear. This is
known as the Whispering Gallery, and is one of the great lions of the
place.

We now prepared to ascend still higher, and, after a tedious journey,
arrived at the gilded gallery, which surmounts the dome. From hence we
enjoyed a magnificent view of London, for, fortunately, the atmosphere
was comparatively clear, and the everlasting canopy of smoke which
overhangs London was not so dense as usual. Spread out before us lay the
great wilderness of brick and mortar, through which the shining Thames,
like a huge snake, pursued its sinuous course, spanned at intervals by
bridges, and bearing, on its broad bosom the gathered treasures of many
a far-distant nation. The streets, diminished to mere lanes, looked
alive with Lilliputians; miniature horses and carriages appeared like so
many German automaton toys which had been wound up and set a-going. Far
away to the westward patches of green, studded with trees, denoted the
parks, in one of which glittered the glass roof and sides of the Crystal
Palace; and still more remote were glimpses of the free, fresh, open
country, along which, at intervals, would rush railway trains, bearing
hundreds of passengers to various parts of England. Above my head
glittered, in the brilliant sunshine, the ball and cross which, at a
height of four hundred and four feet, stands proudly over London, and
may be seen from various parts of the metropolis. Another fee secured
our passage to the interior of this globe of gilded copper, and which is
about six feet in diameter, and will hold several persons. To reach it,
I had to ascend a ladder and creep through an aperture at the bottom of
the sphere. This was not worth the labor, but then we could say we had
attained the highest point of the cathedral. I hear that ladies
sometimes venture into the ball; if so, their timidity is insufficient
to baffle their curiosity. This accomplished, we retraced our steps, and
visited the portion of St. Paul's in which divine service is performed.
About a dozen boys, dressed in white surplices, were chanting sweetly; a
dull-looking clergyman read the service indifferently; and a score of
poor people, with one or two well-dressed persons, formed the
congregation. We then departed for Westminster Abbey, which must form
the subject of another letter.

Yours affectionately,

WELD.




Letter 21.


LONDON.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

What shall I tell you about Westminster Abbey? I hope I may be able to
say enough to make you long to see it, and determine you to read all you
can about it. By the way, I have satisfied myself that I can learn the
best things about such places by carefully reading good histories and
examining the best engravings. This abbey claims to have been built, in
616, by a Saxon king. It was enlarged by Edgar and Edward the Confessor,
and was rebuilt as it now appears by Henry III. and Edward I. In this
church all the sovereigns of England have been crowned, from Edward the
Confessor down to Victoria; and not a few of them have been buried here.
The architecture, excepting Henry VII.'s Chapel; is of the early
English school. Henry's chapel is of the perpendicular Gothic. The
western towers were built by Sir Christopher Wren.

We entered at the door leading to the Poet's Corner. We gazed with
interest on the monuments of Chatham, Pitt, Fox, and Canning, Prince
Rupert, Monk, Chaucer, Spenser, Beaumont, Fletcher, Ben Jonson, Cowley,
Dryden, Dr. Watts, Addison, Gay, Sheridan, and Campbell. Here, too, are
tablets to Barrow, South, Garrick, Handel, Clarendon, Bishop Atterbury,
Sir Isaac Newton, and old Parr, who died at the age of one hundred and
fifty-two.

[Illustration: Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey.]

The associations of this building are every thing to the stranger. I
will just give you a list of names of the kings and queens buried
here--Sebert, Edward the Confessor, Henry III., Edward I., Queen
Eleanor, Edward III. and his queen, Philippa, Richard II. and his queen,
Henry V., Henry VII. and his queen, Ann of Cleves, queen of Henry VIII.,
Edward VI., Bloody Mary, Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth, James I.
and his queen, Queen of Bohemia, Charles II., William III. and Mary,
Queen Anne, George II. and Queen Caroline.

We took the circuit of the chapels, beginning with St. Benedict. Here
many eminent churchmen have been interred. The next is St. Edmond's,
which contains twenty monuments; the monument of the Earl of Pembroke,
brother of Henry III.; he died 1298. Here, too, are tombs of children of
Edward II. and Edward III. I noticed a very fine brass monument, which
represents a Duchess of Gloucester in her dress as a nun, dated 1399.
There is, too, the effigy of the Duchess of Suffolk, mother of poor Lady
Jane Grey. The third is St. Nicholas's Chapel, where is seen Lord
Burleigh's monument. The fourth is the Virgin Mary's Chapel, called
Henry VII.'s Chapel, and the ascent to which is by twelve or fourteen
steps. This glorious room consists of a central aisle, with five small
chapels and two side aisles. Here you see the stalls and banners of the
Knights of the Bath, who were formerly installed in this chapel. The
altar tomb of Henry VII. is truly beautiful; Lord Bacon said, "It is one
of the costliest and daintiest tombs in Europe." Here are tombs of his
mother, and the mother of Lord George Darnley, and Mary, Queen of Scots,
and the Duke of Buckingham, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Mary. Here, too,
is a sarcophagus, which is supposed to contain the remains of Edward V.
and the Duke of York, discovered in the Tower in the seventeenth
century, in a box. Charles II., William and Mary, and Queen Anne are in
a vault on the south aisle. George II. and his queen, Caroline, lie
together, a side being taken out of each coffin. The fifth chapel is St.
Paul's. The most striking object here is a colossal portrait statue of
James Watt, the great steam-engine perfecter, if not inventor. This is
by Chantrey, and cost six thousand pounds, and seems quite out of place.
Archbishop Usher lies in this chapel. The sixth chapel, called Edward
the Confessor's, pleased me greatly. In the centre is the shrine of the
monarch saint; it is rich in mosaic adornments. The altar tomb of Henry
III. is very grand, and there is a noble bronze statue of the king.
Edward I. is here, and in 1774 his body was found almost entire. Edward
III. and Philippa, his queen, have tombs. Here, too, was Henry V., the
hero of Agincourt, Richard II. and queen. We were delighted with the two
coronation chairs; in one is the old stone of Scone, on which the early
Scotch kings used to be crowned. Edward I. carried it off, and it has
ever since figured in English coronations. It is a large piece of red
and gray sandstone, and claims to have been the veritable pillow on
which Jacob slept. The seventh chapel is that of St. Erasmus, and leads
to the eighth, which is John the Baptist's. Here rest the early abbots
of the church. It contains a very fine monument to Lord Hunsdon,
chamberlain to Queen Bess. Just outside, in the aisle, we found the
noble monument to General Wolfe, and the celebrated work of Roubilliac
in memory of Mrs. Nightingale, where death is seen throwing his dart at
the wife, who falls into her husband's arms.

All over this noble abbey did we wander again and again in repeated
visits, and admire the finest statuary we have ever seen. Roubilliac was
a wonderful genius, and his monument to Sir Peter Warren is exquisite.
The works of Bacon, Flaxman, Nollekins, Chantrey, and Westmacott have
made me in love with statuary; and I long to see the great works which
are to be seen on the continent.

Many of the tablets and statues are only honorary, as the persons
commemorated were not buried here; as Shakspeare, Southey, Thomson,
Goldsmith, Dr. Watts, &c. I could spend hours looking at Roubilliac's
monument for the Duke of Argyle and his statue for Handel.

We attended divine service one Sunday afternoon, and heard a very fine
sermon from Lord John Thynne. The abbey was crowded; the music the best
I ever heard in a church; the preacher was quite eloquent; and Dr. C.
observed that it was the most evangelical sermon he had heard in
England. The subject was on justification by faith:

I may forget many things that I shall see on our travels, but I think
that this abbey will never vanish from my recollection. I shall always
remember the very position of these great works of art and genius; and I
am more than repaid for all the labor of a voyage.

Yours affectionately,

WELD.




Letter 22.

LONDON.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

No one comes to London without being told by every one to go and see the
parks; so we have been to see these fine breathing places. Hyde Park is
about four hundred acres, and has as many as half a dozen great
entrances. Its position is high, and it is the great drive of the people
of fashion. If you want to see London, you must come here on a fine
summer day in June, at about four o'clock, and you will gaze on the
finest and gayest equipages of England. A very pretty piece of water is
in this park, which is called "the Serpentine River." The best skating
of London is to be seen here, we are told, in hard winters. The entrance
from Piccadilly is by a fine threefold arch. Here is the great Achilles
of bronze, in honor of Wellington, made out of the cannon which the duke
captured in Spain. St. James's and the Green Park: this is the oldest in
London, and was made by Henry VIII. A fine arch affords entrance from
Piccadilly, having a bronze colossal equestrian statue of the Duke of
Wellington. You get grand views of the Abbey towers, Buckingham Palace,
the York Column, and other objects of interest. The two parks are about
one hundred and fifty acres. Regent's Park is one of the most
attractive spots in this great city. Here are villas of the finest kind.
Some of the prettiest terraces and rows of houses about London are here
to be seen. This park contains nearly five hundred acres, and, among
other attractions, the Botanical and Zooelogical Gardens, and the
Coliseum. Victoria Park, near Bethnal Green, is a new one, of about
three hundred acres; but we did not visit it.

Besides these, there are more than thirty squares, some of which are
very beautiful, and are finely planted and adorned. Belgrave Square is
exceedingly rich in its appearance; the houses are built in the
Corinthian order.

Northumberland House, at Charing Cross, is the city residence of the
Duke of Northumberland. This, externally, has no great beauty, but is
surmounted by the lion of the Percy family. It was built in 1605. This
noble mansion has been politely opened by its proprietor to the visits
of the foreigners who are here at the exhibition. It is a princely
mansion; and, although we had recently been to Windsor, and seen the
royal residence, yet we thought this palace home almost regal in its
splendor. The staircase is splendid, and the apartments are very
magnificent. The hall and drawing-rooms are quite equal, in decorations
and paintings, to the rooms at Windsor. We were much pleased with two
large pictures--a fox and deer hunt, by Snyders; but there were so
many, that it is difficult to single out those we admired. There are
some beautiful paintings of Napoleon, and exquisite carvings in ivory.
In one of the saloons we were all struck with a large Sevres china vase,
presented to the Duke of Northumberland by Charles X., at his
coronation, at which occasion the duke was present as ambassador
extraordinary, and made a most astonishing display of English wealth and
liberality.

Sion House, near Brentford, is another palace belonging to the duke.
This noble mansion is on the banks of the Thames, and is composed of
freestone. It is very gorgeously furnished, and the hothouses and
conservatories are not much, if any, inferior to Chatsworth. This
mansion has also, been opened to visitors from abroad, and we received
orders from the minister.

One of the sweetest features about the metropolis, to my taste, is the
vast number of charming villages that surround it. Go where you may, you
fall in with cottages, villas, and mansions, that convey to the mind the
ideas of comfort, elegance, and wealth.

I find from Weld that he forgot to tell you that we went to St.
Margaret's Church, which stands only a few yards off from Westminster
Abbey. This is a very old building, and said to be of the days of Edward
I. In this very building the celebrated fast-day sermons of the Long
Parliament were preached, and I felt much interest in thinking how often
Cromwell, Pym, Peters, and Harrison had worshipped God in that house. In
this church, too, the Assembly of Divines worshipped, and also the
Scotch commissioners, and took the covenant. This church boasts a
painted window of exquisite beauty, which came as a present, from
Holland, to Henry VII.; and the historical associations of this window
are very curious, and well worth your reading about. The monuments of
this sanctuary are far from being devoid of interest. I may name, among
others, those to Caxton, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir James Harrington,
author of the great book, "Oceana," the wife of Milton, the mother of
Cromwell, all of whom are here interred.

While I am speaking of churches, let me tell you that, close by our
hotel, is a very fine one, that pleases me exceedingly. It is called St.
Martin's-in-the-Fields, but is at present quite central as it regards
the metropolis. I think the portico is to my eye equal to any piece of
architecture in London. It was built in 1726. A church stood here for
many centuries; and in 1680, Baxter said that forty thousand people of
the parish could not get into the church; and he adds that they "lived
like Americans, without hearing a sermon for many years." This church
has an exquisite chime of bells, and they very much amused me every
morning.

Yours affectionately,

JAMES.




Letter 23.


LONDON.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

I have not written you for some time. But today I have seen a number of
things which I am sure you would be pleased with, and so I will tell you
about them. Early in the morning we went to see the Mansion House. This
is the dwelling-house of the lord mayor of London. It is a fine-looking
building, but has a queer upper story, with small windows, which look
badly, over the noble pillars and portico. The great room used for
public occasions is the Egyptian Hall, for what reason does not appear
from any thing about it. Here the lord mayor has his great feasts. I
should like to be in London on the 9th of November, which is his day of
inauguration; and this is the great day for Londoners. He rides in a
large carved gilt carriage. I believe he goes to Westminster by water,
in a splendid barge, and comes back in his coach. The salary is eight
thousand pounds; but the expenses are beyond this amount, and some
persons refuse to serve, and pay a fine of five hundred pounds; but
this is a rare case, and enough are ready to pay for the honor. In the
city the mayor ranks before the royal family. The title of "your
lordship" ceases at the expiration of his office.

Our next visit was to the Royal Exchange, a very noble quadrangle, which
was finished in 1844. It stands finely between the Bank of England and
the Mansion House, and in front there is a sort of open space, or
widening of the streets. This is the third building which has occupied
the same spot--the two earlier ones were both burnt down. The original
Exchange was built by Sir Thomas Gresham, and opened by Queen Elizabeth
in 1570. It was copied from the famous Burse at Antwerp, which still
stands. It is singular that, in the great fires of 1666 and 1838, the
statue of Sir Thomas Gresham escaped uninjured. The Exchange is built of
Portland stone, and already has acquired, from the smoke of London, a
venerable tinge. The portico, I am told, is the largest in the kingdom;
but the one at St. Martin's Church I like better. Crossing over the
road, we were at the Bank of England. This is a truly immense affair.
The walls measure fourteen hundred and sixty feet. It wad built in 1734,
but has had many alterations and additions, and now covers four acres.
We did not go into it.

The docks of London are among the attractions of the place. They are
called St. Catharine's, London, East India, West India, Commercial, &c.
These are tar too great an affair for me to describe; and to look at
them, and then think of writing an account, is very much like a small
boy opening a book of mathematics and trying to understand it. What do
you think of the tobacco warehouse, at the docks covering five acres?
Then the tea in bonded warehouses was worth twenty-five millions of
dollars; and there are ten millions of pounds of pepper, six millions of
gallons of wine, and other things in proportion. I inquired about the
shipping, and was told that there were about four thousand seven hundred
and fifty vessels, and eighty thousand seamen, employed in the foreign
commerce of the city; and beyond all this, twenty-one thousand coasting
vessels, averaging five or six men to each craft. Nothing in London
amazes us like these docks. Here you see Malays, Turks, Lascars,
Chinese, Russians, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Negroes, and men of all
nations.

We went several times to walk through Covent Garden Market, and to see
it to advantage you must go very early in the morning. The supply of
fruits and flowers is perfectly astonishing, and the perfume is very
fine. You little imagine, Charley, the prices that early vegetables and
fruits fetch. A cucumber and onion, wrapped up in grape leaves, will,
in February, March, and early part of April, find purchasers at two,
three, and four dollars. Strawberries, peaches, and pines are sold in
early season at what we should think "awful" prices. The hothouse grapes
are very beautiful, and the vegetable productions are more carefully
raised, and in greater variety, than with us. If you want to know all
about Covent Garden Market, you must read Mayhew on London Labor--a nice
book.

We boys had a treat the other day at an autograph collector's. His
collection was large and rare, but his prices very high. I have saved a
catalogue for you.

To-morrow we are off for the continent, and we are very busy in making
our arrangements; so I must close. Our next will be from _La Belle
France._

Yours affectionately,

GEORGE.




Letter 24.


PARIS.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

On a fine morning we left London, by rail, for Dover, in company with
the Rev. Dr. Murray, of New Jersey, and Dr. Chetwood, who made quite a
pleasant addition to our party. On reaching Dover, we were gratified
with the commanding position of the castle, which stands upon the white
chalky cliffs so celebrated by Shakspeare. The town lies in a charming
valley. Dover boasts of high antiquity. The Saxons and Romans both left
enduring memorials of their residence. Its importance was felt at a very
early day, on account of its being the best and authorized port to carry
on intercourse with France. Dover Castle was a strong fortification when
William the Conqueror landed. We found a steamer ready to start, and in
a few minutes were all on board. The Straits of Dover are but twenty-one
miles wide; and yet, in this short passage of barely two hours, we all
suffered sadly from sea sickness. The boat was small, the passengers
were numerous, and all were thankful to plant their feet upon the soil
of the republic. The examination of our passports, and refreshment at
the station-house, occupied about half an hour, and we again entered on
our journey by the rail. I shall say nothing of the place, at present,
as we fully intend to pass a day here, on our return, to examine this
interesting old city. We found the cars good, the railroad excellent but
every thing looked strange. No farms laid out in fine fields, and
divided off by hedges, as in England; or fences and stone walls, as with
us. We every where noticed women working in the field. We passed through
St. Omer, a fortified town, of twenty thousand inhabitants. This is a
town where many English Catholics have been sent for education. We then
came to Lille, which looked like a large city. It has about seventy
thousand inhabitants. The fortifications look very strong, and were
constructed by the great Vauban. This place has been besieged several
times--once by the Duke of Marlborough, for three months, when it
surrendered under Marshal Boufflers. We were amazed at the vast number
of windmills--amounting to hundreds--every where to be seen around the
town; and the tall chimneys in the town tell plainly that this is a
great manufacturing place. The windmills are employed in preparing flax
for linen.

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